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I AM PRIVLEDGED IN HAVING BEEN ASKED TO GIVE A FEW REMINESENCES OUR FRIEND - ZELL INGRAM

(2) ALL OF US WHO [[strikethrough]] WERE [[/strikethrough]] HIS FRIENDS [[strikethrough]] OF ZELL INGRAM [[/strikethrough]] WERE HAPPY TO LEARN THAT DURING THE PAST FEW YEARS [[strikethrough]] HE [[/strikethrough]] ZELL WAS ONCE AGAIN PAINTING SERIOUSLY. (3) FROM ZELL'S EARLY WORK, WHICH HE WAS ALWAYS SO RELUCTANT TO SHOW, WE KNEW HE POSSESSED REAL TALENT. [[strikethrough]] AS A MATTER OF FACT [[/strikethrough]] (1) FIRST,PAINTINGS OF ZELL ARE NOW ON EXHIBIT AT THE NEWARK MUSEUM. (4) AT THE NEWARK OPENING (and Recept) LAST WEEK, THAT MEANT SO MUCH FOR ZELL, HE WAS TO MEET HIS CLOEST FRIEND [[strikethrough]] WILLIAM [[/strikethrough]] BILL RIVERS - INSTEAD THIS WAS ZELL'S FINAL NIGHT.  

WHEN I RECEIVED THE NEWS OF ZELL'S PASSING MY MIND WANDERED BACK TO THE YEARS WHEN I FIRST MET HIM- THE PERIOD OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE- THE TIME OF LANGSTON HUGHES, CLAUDE MCKAY, COUNTEE CULLEN AND MANY OTHERS WHO WERE FRIENDS OF ZELL. [[strikethrough]] OF WHOM HE KNEW. [[/strikethrough]] IT SEEMS TO ME I [[strikethrough]] REMEMBER [[/strikethrough]]] FIRST MEET [[strikethrough]] ING [[/strikethrough]] ZELL WITH LANGSTON HUGHES. I KNOW THAT THEY WERE GOOD FRIENDS AND BELIEVE THEY MADE A TRIP TO CUBA TOGETHER. WHILE ZELL WAS PROUD OF HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH LANGSTON(HE HAD PRACTICALLY ALL OF LANGSTON'S BOOKS AUTOGRAPHED) HE NEVER IN ANY WAY TRIED TO USE THIS FRIENDSHIP, OR ANY OTHER, TO HIS OWN ADVANTAGE. A FRIENDSHIP TO ZELL WAS A TRUST AND HE WAS CONSTANTLY PREPARED TO OFFER HIMSELF, [[strikethrough]] WITH [[/strikethrough]] & HIS GIFTS OF COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING.

HIS FRIENDS WERE AWARE OF THIS. WHEN JOAN AND BILL RIVERS WENT TO LIVE AND WORK IN SPAIN, I OFTEN CONTACTED ZELL TO FIND OUT HOW THEY WERE. I WAS POSITIVE, THAT OF ALL PERSONS,THEY WOULD WRITE ZELL.

ONE DAY MY WIFE AND I WENT TO ZELL'S HOME TO SHOW HIM SOME PHOTOGRAPHIC SLIDES. JUST AS ZELL TURNED ON THE PROJECTOR THE LAMP INSIDE BLEW. ALTHOUGH IT WAS A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Transcription Notes:
- unsure if "FIRST" was a part of the sentence "FIRST, PAINTINGS OF ZELL ARE NOW..."